Pride, Prejudice, and Photography
by xXAngelFireXx
Summary: Tessa Gray had no idea what she was going to do with her life. As a junior in high school, that is kind of a problem. Will things become more clear or more confused when Tessa heads to London for the summer? (Modern AU centered primarily on Will, Tessa, and Jem, but a few OCs as well!) (Rating may change)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! I'm AngelFire and blah blah blah (I think you know where this is going).**

**Before anyone has a fit, this is not a crossover. The only thing this has in common with Pride and Prejudice is some of the themes. No characters, no setting, no plot.**

**Anyhow, I think I did a decent job in the description, so hopefully you know what you're getting. This is going to have both Wessa and Jessa but not both at once, so be patient with me please!**

**I think that's all I have for now, so let me know what you think!**

**Thanks guys!**

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Chapter 1

After eight long hours on the plane, the pilot finally announced they were preparing to land. Tessa, thankful to have a window seat, leaned forward to get a glimpse of the England she had heard so much about. Her brother Nate had talked of it often. In fact, it was his idea that she stay in London for the summer.

She had just completed her junior year of high school, and she was expected to be applying to university in the fall. The problem was, Tessa had no idea what she wanted to do or where she wanted to go. At her school, that was a big problem. Teachers and counselors had been pressuring her all spring to figure things out, but she simply could not decide. Though she would never admit it to anyone, Tessa was good at many things. She loved books and reading, which made her her an excellent writer. She enjoyed art and was decently good it too, especially photography. She even made math and science look easy.

Her biggest problem, however, was her aunt. Her aunt insisted that she go to medical school to become a nurse, and Tessa had absolutely no intention of doing so. Things at home were very unpleasant, so Nate had suggested that Tessa travel to London for the summer.

At first, all Tessa could see was a blanket of clouds beneath the plane. It looked almost like a frozen ocean with soft, fluffy, white snow covering the ice. As they descended toward it Tessa nearly forgot they were merely clouds and gave a sharp intake of breath as they passed through them, expecting to collide with something solid. The plane, of course, passed straight through them and was enveloped in grey fluff. Tessa wished she could reach out and touch them, curious as to what a cloud might feel like. She only had time for the thought before the plane broke free and the vivid green landscape bloomed beneath them. Tessa couldn't believe how _green_ everything was! The grey stone of the scattered buildings stood out against the grass and trees like a few lone clouds on an otherwise cloudless day. Tessa couldn't wait to take pictures of all of the beautiful buildings in the city.

The plane touched down with a jolt, and Tessa began to get excited. In less than an hour she would be on her way to London where she would spend the next three months. Nate had arranged for her to stay with some friends of his, the Saunders. They had a daughter a year older than Tessa and lived right in the middle of London near Hyde Park.

As quickly as she could, Tessa navigated through the airport, found her bag and made her way out to the parking are where she was supposed to meet the Saunders family. It was immediately obvious who the Saunders were because they were holding up a massive sign that said: "Welcome to England, Tessa!" She couldn't help smiling as she walked over to them.

"Hello, Tessa!" Mrs. Saunderssaid, beaming at her. "We would have met you at the baggage claim, but the security wouldn't let us in with the sign."

"It's fine," Tessa assured her, returning the smile. Mrs. Saunders was a tall woman with blonde hair pulled up into a loose bun on the back of her head. Tessa could tell she was quite energetic, for she could hardly keep still and she seemed to glow, especially when she smiled.

Mr. Saunders stepped forward then, introducing himself and welcoming her also. He was less animated than his wife, but excited nonetheless. Lastly, he brought forward his daughter.

"I'm Rosamund," she introduced herself smiling warmly. "We've heard quite a bit about you. I hope you have a wonderful summer with us."

"Thank you," Tessa nodded. "I'm sure I will." Rosamund looked very much like her mother, and was almost as tall. Her pale blonde hair fell around her shoulders in soft curls, and Tessa felt she could come to know and understand Rosamund simply by studying her deep brown eyes.

"Is that all you've brought then?" Mr. Saunders asked as he lifted her single suitcase into the back of a cab.

"Yes," Tessa nodded. She had only brought what she could fit in the suitcase, and most of her things had fit. She had never been as focused on fashion as most girls back home, and if her clothes were not fashionable in America, they would be horribly out of fashion in London. She also carried a small backpack as a carry-on. In the backpack she had packed her camera, the journal Nate had given her, and of course her books. She had only brought a few, as too many would have been heavy, but among those few were A Tale of Two Cities and her current favorite, Pride and Prejudice.

The cab took them quickly through the busy city streets. Tessa felt odd driving on the opposite side of the road than she was used to. She tried not to press her nose to the window as they passed the London Eye and Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. The cabs in London were much less terrifying than any cab she took in New York. Sure they still drove fast, but she didn't feel as if the cab were going to flip or that they were going to get in an accident at any moment.

Finally they reached the Saunders home. From the outside, it looked like an apartment building. It was built of light grey, almost white, stone with windows covering nearly the entire front of the building. There looked to be four or five stories, the roof rising to a point in three places with sections of flat areas in between.

When Tessa was ushered from a spacious entry room into a an even bigger parlour, she was a bit confused. Usually apartment buildings had one long hall with several flights of stairs and an elevator as well as doors lining the hall. Mrs. Saunders laughed quietly, presumably because of Tessa's confused look.

"We knocked out most of the walls. The whole building belongs to us, you see. We wanted to live in the city but have more than an apartment," she explained. They proceeded to give Tessa a tour of the house; there was also the dining room, the drawing room and a great deal many other rooms that Tessa would never use nor remember. Lastly they went to the bedrooms. Tessa was to stay in the one across the hall from Rosamund on the third floor of the house. Nate had neglected to mention that the Saunders were as wealthy as they were. Perhaps he had intended it, but Tessa wished he would have said something. When Mr. Saunders informed Tessa that the cook and the housekeepers, as he called them, were up on the fourth floor, it was all Tessa could do to keep from staring at him in shock.

Eventually, Mr. and Mrs. Saunders left Rosamund and Tessa alone in Tessa's new room. Her suitcase had already been brought up, but Tessa was too busy wondering at the room to notice. The room was at least four times larger than her room in New York had been. One wall was lined with windows looking out over the street where they had come in from. White lace curtains hung down around them, matching the white duvet on the bed. The room itself was painted a pale blue that matched the neatly folded blanket at the end of the bed as well as the embroidered flowers on the large white pillows and the smaller accent pillow in front. Tessa felt as if she were in some sort of fairy tale castle rather than the middle of bustling London.

"Do you like it?" Rosamund asked with a smile as she watched Tessa walk over and look out the windows.

"What kind of a question is that?" Tessa teased, turning to face Rosamund. "Of course I like it!"

"Good," Rosamund nodded with a grin. "Would you like help unpacking?"

"Sure, if you want to," Tessa nodded and walked over to her suitcase which had been set on an ottoman at the foot of the bed. "It shouldn't take very long."

As Tessa had predicted, unpacking and storing her clothes took only half an hour. Afterward, Tessa asked Rosamund some questions about school and, of course, what they did in the summer.

"Well it is different for everyone, but there is a sort of start-of-summer party tomorrow in Hyde park. I thought it would be a good place for you to meet some more people," Rosamund explained.

The thought of a party made Tessa a little nervous. She was not the partying type of girl, and she had no idea what to expect. Even with her worries, however, Tessa agreed to go.

"Oh yay!" Rosamund beamed, giving Tessa the warm feeling that she had made someone truly happy. She couldn't help returning the smile. If everyone in London were as welcoming and kind as the Saunders, Tessa would have nothing to worry about.


	2. Chapter 2

Exhausted from her travels, Tessa had gone to bed early and slept late. She hadn't slept on the plane, so by the time she had gone to bed the previous night she had been awake for nearly thirty hours. Now, she was fretting over what to wear to party in Hyde park. It was obvious her usual jeans and top -even if it was a cute one- wouldn't cut it. She hadn't thought to bring one of her three dresses or even a skirt. Frustrated, Tessa shut the drawer on the dresser a bit too loudly, causing Rosamund to come in from across the hall.

"Are you all right, Tessa?" she asked, her head tilted to one side as she finished putting in an earring.

Tessa whirled around to face her, only barely able to keep her jaw from dropping. Rosamund was dressed in a simple but lovely white lace dress that came down to her knees and had a pale blue ribbon tied just below the bust. On her feet she wore white sandals with blue flowers that matched the ribbon. Her hair was put up in a loose messy bun at the nape of her neck.

"I have nothing to wear," Tessa informed her, trying not to sound too upset. "You had better go without me. I will look completely ridiculous." Especially next to you, she added in her head.

"Nonsense!" Rosamund said, brushing the comment away with her hand. "You can borrow some of my things. We look to be about the same size."

"Only if you're sure," Tessa said, hesitantly following Rosamund into her bedroom.

"Oh of course!" Rosamund assured her enthusiastically, leading Tessa into her closet. The closet was a walk in, the same size as Tessa's, but it felt much smaller because every available space was covered with some sort of clothing or accessory. There was an entire rack for jackets, several hooks loaded with scarves, and shoes -more precisely boots- everywhere.

Tessa was still looking around when Rosamund approached with something blue thrown over her arms. "Here, try this on," she told Tessa and handed it to her.

Rosamund stepped out while Tessa changed. It was a dress made from denim-like material, but much lighter. The sleeves could have been longer, but they were rolled up to about halfway between her shoulder and her elbow. There were a few buttons on the top which were left undone to form a 'V' as well as a collar similar to one on a man's dress shirt. Tessa was amazed at how comfortable it was. Her dresses back home were itchy and tight in all the wrong places, but this one was as comfortable as a nightgown.

Rosamund came back in, grinning when she saw Tessa. "That color is perfect for you. It makes you'r eyes look more blue."

"Thank you," Tessa smiled as she looked in the floor length mirror that occupied a small section of the wall. Rosamund was right, the color did make her grey eyes appear more blue and contrasted nicely with her hair.

"It just needs this," Rosamund said as she riffled through a drawer and pulled out a woven leather belt that matched the color of Tessa's hair. Tessa took it and fastened it around her waist. It was thick enough that it didn't get lost and made it's own statement, but it didn't completely take over the attention.

Rosamund stepped back to critique her work, her light brows knitting together in thought. "It needs shoes, of course, but something else, too. I just can't quite figure out what..." she trailed off as she began digging through piles of boots.

Tessa thought it looked fine. It was more than anything she would have put together on her own.

"Here," Rosamund said, holding out a pair of dark brown boots. They were the kind with thick soles and laces all the way to the top, which was a little lower than mid-calf on Tessa. "Oh I know! A hat!" Rosamund exclaimed and ran over to a coat tree designated for hats.

"A hat?"

"Absolutely," Rosamund nodded, carrying over a rather large floppy hat. It was straw-colored with a dark brown ribbon above where the brim started. Tessa took it skeptically. She never wore hats aside from an occasional stocking cap in the winter. She just didn't think they looked very good on her. "Come on, put it on," Rosamund encouraged her, smiling the whole time. Tessa did as she was told and put it on. "That does it!" Rosamund nodded, sounding excited. "You look so sassy now."  
Tessa had to admit she was right. The dress, belt, and hat would have been sweet by themselves, but the nearly black boots added an edgy sort of feel to it. She grinned back at Rosamund through the mirror, unable to help herself from getting a little excited now.

"Let's get going," Rosamund said, leading Tessa toward the stairs. "The party started about 45 minutes ago, so it should be in full swing by the time we get there."

Tessa nodded in agreement and followed Rosamund down the many flights of stairs to the main level of the house. Rosamund paused to look out a window. "Hmmm we'd better take jackets. It's sunny now, but that can change in a heartbeat," she explained as she picked through the many coats in the hall closet to find one that matched each of their outfits. "Oh! And never leave the house without an umbrella. Ever."

"Nate mentioned that to me too," Tessa said with a grin. "He almost never had one and ended up getting wet very often."

"At least he didn't have to worry about his hair," Rosamund teased as she pulled two umbrellas from the basket by the door.

"Very true," Tessa agreed.

"I believe we are finally ready," Rosamund said with a short nod. "We'll walk because it is so close."

And with that the two girls headed down the street toward Hyde park. It was, as Rosamund had promised, a short walk to the park. They could hear the party before they saw it. There was music playing from large speakers, but there was also laughter and chatter. As people began coming into sight, Tessa began to get nervous again. It was only her second day in England and she didn't want to come off as a stereotypical stupid American. Rosamund seemed to sense her nervousness because she said, "don't worry, no one will bite. It's all going to be nice people for the most part."

That made Tessa smile some, and then she put on a relaxed face and followed Rosamund into the party. In addition to music, there was some food and also games off to the side away from the main group. People were waving and smiling at Rosamund and though some people glanced at Tessa, they were primarily curious and interested rather than hostile.

"There you are, Rose!" came a voice from in front of them. Tessa looked at the boy who had spoken. He was fairly tall with sandy blonde hair. "We were beginning to think you weren't coming."

"Hello, Gideon," Rosamund greeted him with a smile. "We just wanted to let things get going before we showed up."

"Oh is this the girl from America?" he asked, glancing at Tessa and smiling pleasantly at her.

"Yes," Rosamund nodded. "This is Tessa. Tessa. the is Gideon Lightwood He is a year older than me." She turned to address Gideon. "Are you here with Gabriel?"

"Yes," Gideon replied. "Though I seem to have lost him at the moment. Ah well. He'll turn up eventually," he said with a light chuckle. "He's probably off somewhere being a prat."

"Who's being a prat?" Another boy asked, joining their group. "I hope you're not talking about Will. True as it may be, I don't think he likes people talking behind his back."

"Actually I think he rather likes the idea. As long as people are talking about him, it doesn't matter," Gideon pointed out, earning a muffled laugh from Rosamund.

The boy caught sight of Tessa and then said to her, "I do not believe we've been introduced."

"I don't think so either," Tessa said with a smile. "I'm Tessa."

"James Carstairs, but most everyone calls me Jem," he replied with another smile. Tessa didn't know exactly what to make of Jem's appearance. He was tall and lanky, as most teenage boys were, but it was his hair and eyes that puzzled her. They were both the same shade of silver. She wasn't going to ask, of course, but she assumed he dyed it or something. She could not, however explain the eyes.

"Pleased to meet you," Tessa said, returning the smile.

"So you're from America then. Rose told us you'd be coming. I'm glad you were feeling up to coming today. Jet lag can be nasty.

"Yeah, I was pretty much unconscious last night," she told him. "Rosamund spent almost ten minutes just trying to get me out of bed this morning."

"Ah, well Rose is too nice. All it would have taken was a little water," he teased, nudging her lightly with his elbow.

"You would have done the same thing as I did, Jem," Rosamund said rolling her eyes.

Jem laughed quietly and smiled in agreement. "Yes, I suppose I would have."

"Have you any idea where Will is, Jem? I want to introduce Tessa to him," Rosamund asked.

"I last saw him over by the drinks, I think," Jem told her.

"All right. Perhaps we'll go over there. Come on, Tessa."

Tessa prepared to follow, but another voice brought the girls to a stop. "Leaving just as I arrive? That's not very polite now is it?" Tessa turned to find a very handsome black-haired boy standing beside her. He was a little taller than Jem and not quite as lanky. But that only caught her attention for a moment. Her eyes were immediately drawn to his intense blue ones. The color reminded her of the water off of one of the Greek islands she had visited. They were brighter blue toward the outside of the iris and faded to a slightly darker blue toward the center, just as the water faded from light to dark the farther it was from the shore.

"Will!" Rosamund exclaimed, turning and smiling at him. "We were just going to try to find you."

"Oh dear, I'm already being followed by so many adoring fans. Well I suppose you could wait your turn. I might get to you by sometime next week. Though I can't- Hey!" Will was cut off as Jem discreetly elbowed him in the ribs.

"I'm sure your 'adoring fans' can wait a moment," Jem said, giving Will a meaningful look. Whether or not he noticed was debatable.

Rosamund took the opportunity to introduce Tessa.

"Oh so you're the American? Hmmm, I assumed you'd be more... I don't know... exciting," Will said with a shrug earning him another elbow from Jem and a head shake from Gideon.

Tessa was about to respond but a sharp "Herondale!" came from behind Will, catching his attention and making him turn from Tessa.

"Gabriel, I already told you that you need to wait your turn. None of the other ladies will appreciate you cutting in front of them," Will told the boy, Gabriel, who had called his name. Gabriel did not look amused. In fact, he looked quite angry.

"You made Alice leave crying. Are you just going to stand here and act like nothing happened?" Gabriel demanded, crossing his arms.

Feigning a shocked expression Will said, "Dear me another one. Well I can't bestow my love on all of them."

Tessa only barely managed to keep her jaw from dropping. He was ridiculous! How could he think so highly of himself when he very clearly upset many people with his behavior? And what made him think he had the right to behave as he did? He hadn't spoken an entire sentence sentence before he had insulted her, so Tessa couldn't even imagine what he must have said to the other girl.

"What do you mean 'another one,' William?" Jem asked, sounding tired.

"Oh don't worry, no one else has been crying," Will brushed the comment off with a flick of his hand. "There are just so many people requesting my attention that I can't possibly make everyone happy."

"You could try by making at least one person happy," Tessa suggested. "Though that may be a bit of a struggle for you."

"My your accent is strange," Will mused purely, Tessa assumed, to irritate her. "But I have already made someone happy! I'm sure by simply talking to you I made your day so much better and happier."

"You assume too much," Tessa said, fighting a smile as a flash of irritation ruined the nonchalant, contempt expression on his face. With a pleasant smile, said good bye and waltzed away from a very surprised William Herondale.

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**Anyone else want Tessa or Rose's outfit? :P**

**I'm not going to post any more without at least, say, two reviews? So if you want more, tell me!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you all so much for your encouragement! **

**Now to respond to a few reviews...**

** Gray: Yes, that tends to be my weak spot. I'm not always good at humor and my definition of humor is often different from most people's definition. These first 3-4 chapters are always less amusing because I have characters to introduce and relationships to establish and there isn't anywhere to put it. I will try though! And I thought I said it was going to be both Jessa and Wessa at different points. It isn't going to be similar to Pride and Prejudice in any other way than the themes. The plot for this is completely different from the plot in the book. Hope that clarified things!**

** Guest (the 1st one/the one on top): Thank you! I like my details :P. And I wish I knew Rosamund too. She's so sweet!**

**This is sort of a mini-chapter, but I didn't really want to make it longer. It kinda needs to be its own thing, so I hope you like it!**

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**Chapter 3**

A few days after the party, the subject of Will came up between Rosamund and Tessa. They had been sitting together in Rosamund's room before going to bed. Rosamund told Tessa how Will was son of one of the richest men in London and Jem, Will's best friend, was also quite wealthy. Learning that Will was rich only made her more irritated with him.

"I just can't believe how he treats people," Tessa said, shaking her head. "I mean, he was rude to me and I hadn't even know him for more than a few moments, if that. Who does that? And why? I can't believe he's really arrogant enough to think that just talking to someone will make their life better!"

Rosamund, who had listened to her rant in silence, spoke up. "Oh that's just how Will is. I'm sure he has a reason or explanation for his behavior."

"Is there anyone you dislike, Rose?" Tessa teased before adding, "I think he's just rich and snobby. That's the only explanation he could have."

"I still thought what you said to him was funny," Rosamund said with a smile. "He definitely wasn't expecting it."

"Of course not. Who would dare tease the high and mighty William Herondale?" Tessa said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I would have stayed silent, perhaps, if he hadn't been so quick to insult me."

"Just be careful, Tessa," Rosamund warned. "Will doesn't always play nice."

"Oh I don't think he'll pay much attention to me. After all, I'm not exciting enough for him," she said as she stood. "Well, I am going to go to bed. Good night!" Before she left the room, Tessa paused in the doorway and turned around. "I think you need to keep an eye on Gideon," she teased, a grin beginning to spread across her face. "He couldn't stop looking at you yesterday."

Rosamund's cheeks burned as she protested, but Tessa just laughed quietly and then continued into her room. Tessa closed the door behind her and then climbed into bed. Even as she slipped under the covers and closed her eyes, however, she knew she was going to see a certain blue eyed boy in her dreams.

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Will and Jem walked through Piccadilly Circus on their way to lunch. They sometimes went to one of the taverns along Shaftesbury Avenue together. Will had been silent nearly the whole walk, and Jem was giving him worried glanced from time to time.

"Are you all right, Will?" Jem asked hesitantly. Sometimes asking Will what was bothering him would only make him more upset.

Will nodded, stuffing his hands into the pocket of his jacket.

Not convinced, Jem asked, "You're not still upset about what Tessa said, are you?"

Will looked over at him pretending to be confused. "The American girl? Nah, she was probably still jet lagged and didn't really know what she was saying."

Jem raised a pale eyebrow at him. "Is it really so hard to believe that someone would snap back at you? One of the first things you said to her was an insult, after all."

"But that's just how I am!" Will said defensively. "It's not my fault she doesn't have a sense of humor," he finished, scowling at the ground.

"You're still upset about it," Jem concluded.

It was not a question.

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**Since this one was so short, I hope to have chapter 4 up later today. I'm going to try to update fairly often, but I'm currently taking a class and I'm writing a few other things, so give me some slack please!**

**Anyway, tell me what you think! I have such fun reading reviews and it makes me want to write!**


	4. Chapter 4

**So sorry I didn't have this up yesterday! Long story short, life happened and I didn't have as much time to write as I thought I would. Anyway, here it is now and I hope you like it!**

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**Chapter 4 **

"Tessa? Tessa, It's time to get up now."

Tessa groggily sat up and rubbed her eyes. She had been up late editing some pictures she had taken the previous day in Hyde Park and had planned on sleeping in.

"Did you forget we are going to Buckingham Palace today?" Rosamund asked, fighting a smile at the look of realization and panic that spread across Tessa's face.

"Oh! We're not too late are we?" Tessa asked as she sprang out of bed to get dressed.

"If we leave in half an hour we should still be able to make it," Rosamund informed her. "And we can always go another day, I just thought this would be a good day because it is supposed to be nice."

"Well we already told Jem and Gideon we were coming, so we should go," Tessa said. "Besides, I'm very good at getting ready quickly," she grinned.

True to her word, Tessa and Rosamund were on their way in less than twenty minutes. Rosamund had insisted on Tessa seeing the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. Tessa felt it was a very tourist-y thing to do, but though she wasn't exactly a tourist, Tessa was interested in seeing all of the sights of London. They had taken a cab part of the way, but traffic got nasty as they came closer to the Palace. It was to be expected at this time of day, so Tessa and Rosamund left the cab and went the rest of the way on foot. It was quite obvious they were getting close because of the masses of people walking the same direction. All Tessa could see was a sea of people. Ahead and above all of their heads on top of a large stone pillar was a beautiful gold statue of an angel.

"How on Earth are we supposed to find Jem and Gideon in all these people?" Tessa wondered aloud, completely bewildered by the sheer number of people there.

"Don't worry, we have a plan," Rosamund assured Tessa as she expertly wove her way through the crowd. Nodding, Tessa followed closely behind. She had taken her camera bag off her back and was clutching it tightly in front of her. She had heard too many stories of backpacks being picked clean in large crowds such as this.

After another minute of shoving through the crowd, Tessa and Rosamund finally managed to break through to a less crowded section. "Not many of the tourists know to come this far down the street," Rosamund explained. "You can see just as well from here and there aren't as many people."

"I'm sure glad I have you to show me all the tricks," Tessa said with a smile. She might have given up after seeing so many people. "I'm still not sure how we're going to find the others though."

Rosamund laughed and beckoned for Tessa to follow her. Tessa did so, slinging her camera bag over her shoulder. After going only a few meters, Tessa heard someone call "Rose!" loud enough to be heard over the chaos of the crowd. Tessa looked around for the two boys, but saw neither. Rosamund obviously saw them, because she began waving. Following her line of sight, Tessa spotted them. They were in front of a large stone pillar standing on something so they towered above the crowd. As Tessa and Rosamund got closer, Tessa saw that they were standing on a narrow ledge on the pillar.

"Hello, boys!" Rosamund said with a smile as they jumped down and landed lightly in front of the two girls.

"We were beginning to worry you weren't going to make it," Jem said as he and Gideon led them to a small open space along the street. "It's almost 11."

"I overslept a bit," Tessa explained with a slight laugh. The boys let Rosamund and Tessa stand in front, for there was only enough room for two to stand side by side between the tourists. Tessa took her camera out of her bag and began testing for the best settings with the light.

"That's quite a fancy camera you've got there," Jem observed, looking over her shoulder.

"Oh it's not really _that_ fancy," Tessa said with a shrug. "There are plenty of cameras that are much more complicated than mine."

"I see. Well there are still too many buttons for me. I would just break it."

"I don't think you'd break it," Tessa said, unable to help a slight laugh. She'd seen how carefully he handled things, even just when he took his phone out to check the time.

"Still, let's not test it," Jem replied with a quiet laugh of his own.

"Here they come!" Gideon announced, as he was able to see over everyone's heads.

Tessa leaned out into the street as far as she could, camera in hand. She snapped a few pictures and then stood back and waited for them to pass by. The band came by first playing a tune Tessa didn't recognize. They all marched perfectly in step, which was really quite amazing to see. Just behind the band came the guard. For a moment, Tessa forgot she was supposed to be taking pictures. In that moment, she understood why Kitty and Lydia from Pride and Prejudice were so taken by officers in red coats. She snapped out of it, lifted her camera to her eye, and began clicking away. They too were in step, the thin red stripe on the leg of their uniforms making it look even more perfect. Tessa found it amusing that while the guard in front carried a sword over his shoulder, the rest carried some sort of very modern, dangerous-looking gun. The last of them walked by, followed by a cop on horseback.

"Come on, Tessa," Gideon said as he ushered Rosamund and Jem ahead of him. "We have to get to the other side so we can see the new guard coming in."

"There's more?" Tessa asked as she hurried after them.

Gideon said that there was, and began to push through the crowd. It was a bit easier following Gideon than Rosamund because Gideon was so much taller and more willing to shove people. Jem followed close behind Tessa, so she didn't feel the need to carry her camera bag in front of her.

This time, Gideon led them to a pillar not unlike the one where they had met. Turning to Rosamund and Tessa, Gideon said, "You two will be able to see better if you stand up on the ledge like Jem and I were earlier."

The girls nodded and, with the help of Jem and Gideon, managed to get up onto the ledge. Tessa soon saw the band for the new guard, as Gideon had called it. It was much bigger than the first, as was the guard that followed. Tessa leaned forward slightly to get a clear shot of one of the horses that followed the guard. She lost her balance for a moment on the narrow ledge and began crashing to the ground with a cry of surprise. Her only thoughts were of her camera and how terrible it would be for it to get smashed to pieces. Before she had time to do anything about it, her fall was broken by someone and she looked up to find herself practically in Jem's lap.

"Are you all right?" he asked worriedly, searching her face with his silver eyes.

Tessa blushed a deep red as she scrambled to stand, aided significantly by Jem. "Yes, I'm fine. I just slipped." She glanced at Rosamund, who was trying very hard not to smile at Tessa's blush.

"Are you sure? I can carry you if you'd like," Jem said, now teasing as she appeared to be perfectly fine.

"Yes, good sir, I am quite certain," Tessa said with a smile in her best attempt at a British accent. Everyone seemed to find her attempt very amusing, and they all started laughing, Tessa included.

"Let's get inside somewhere before it rains," Jem suggested. "And before Tessa decides to fall over again," he teased, smiling at her.

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**Let me know what you thought! Things you liked, things I need to change, suggestions, anything!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! I'm so sorry this took so long! That stupid class is killing me and I've been running around all day for the past few days on errands for my parents.**

**Thank you, alohamiems, for your suggestion about length! I will work on making longer chapters, but the length will vary depending on each chapter.**

**An I apologize for any big errors. I kinda looked over it, but I wanted to get it up so I may have missed something. I'm going to do a more thorough reading now.**

**Without further ado, chapter 5!**

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**Chapter 5 **

Tessa sat in her room, flicking through the pictures she had taken from Buckingham Palace two days before. She had gotten some good pictures of the guard, but her favorites were of Jem and Gideon making faces at the camera or Rosamund hiding behind her coffee mug. As Jem had predicted, it soon began to rain, so the four had ducked into a Starbucks -something Tessa hadn't expected to find in London. They had spent most of the afternoon there laughing and having fun. Tessa learned that Gideon had just finished his first year at college, or university as they called it. Also that Jem, along with Will, Rosamund, and Gabriel, were all to start university in the fall.

When she came upon one picture, she couldn't help smiling. Jem and Gideon had both gotten down on one knee on either side of Rosamund and had both pretended to declare passionate love for her. Rosamund had her covered her face with her hands, partially to hide her blush, but mostly because they were being so ridiculous it was embarrassing.

"Oh dear you aren't going to put that on the internet are you?" Rosamund asked as she came into Tessa's room and saw the picture.

Tessa laughed and shook her head. "No, I was just looking at them. They are quite funny, however."  
"True," Rosamund nodded in agreement. "Are you ready to go to Windsor? We are picking up Jem on the way over."

"Yep! Just let me get my bag together." With that, Tessa began getting her camera bag together. Today they were going to Windsor Castle because Tessa wanted pictures of the style and architecture of it. The whole thing was made of stone just as Tessa imagined the castles in her books to be.

They were soon on their way to pick up Jem. Windsor was far enough away that the Saunders had let Rosamund and Tessa take the car. Tessa was surprised to find that they actually had a driver so that Rosamund could talk with Tessa and, when he got there, Jem. Tessa had only been in a limousine once, and it felt sort of the same way. Without any of the lights and free drinks, that is.

* * *

Jem and Will stood on the curb where they waited for Rosamund and Tessa. Will had his hands shoved in the pockets of his black leather jacket, doing his best to look as miserable as possible.

"If they ask," he said, turning to Jem, "I only came to avoid a party at my parent's house."

Jem laughed and shook his head. "God, Will, why do you try so hard to act so unpleasant?"

"I'm not acting," Will retorted with a scowl. "You think I really want to go to some stupid old castle so some silly girl can take pictures of it?"

"Tessa is not silly, and she's really quite good at photography," Jem pointed out.

"You make it sound like I care," Will growled, now looking straight ahead at the cars passing in the street.

"We both know you do," Jem said quietly, looking straight ahead also.

Will made no response.

* * *

The car pulled up to the curb where Jem and someone else stood waiting.

"Drat, he's brought Will," Rosamund sighed. "I'm sorry, Tessa, we can tell them not to come and we'll just go by ourselves."

"No, that's alright," said Tessa, shaking her head. "I don't mind if he comes."

"Only if you're sure."  
"Absolutely," Tessa nodded just as Jem opened the door and slid into the car followed by Will.

"Absolutely what?" Will asked, glancing at Tessa. "Absolutely ridiculous if you're talking about your outfit," he finished with a smirk.

Both Jem and Rosamund looked startled by his comment, but Tessa simply returned the smirk. "You might want to check your own outfit before you pick on mine," she told him. She pointed at his shoes. "You're wearing brown shoes and a black jacket. And I thought English guys were supposed to be more fashionable than American guys. I think even my brother knows not to wear brown with black."

Both Rosamund and Jem choked down laughter as Will gave Tessa a look that was somewhere between fury, shock, and amazement. Tessa fought a smile and began a conversation with Jem and Rosamund. Will was silent for the rest of the ride, glaring out the window. Tessa might have felt bad, but if the first words out of his mouth were an insult every time he saw her, he was going to have to deal with it.

The car dropped them off near the entry to the castle, and the four walked in through the main entry. The castle was even better than Tessa had imagined. It looked like someone had taken it right out of the middle ages and plopped it down in 2013. They got their tickets and went through security and then began wandering the castle grounds. Tessa couldn't help feeling a little bit like she was at Hogwarts. There were several round towers, and the path they were currently walking on was cobblestone with stone walls rising up directly on either side. In the walls there were even incredibly narrow slits just wide enough for someone to fire an arrow from a bow through.

Tessa didn't realize she had been grinning the whole time until Jem and Rosamund couldn't contain their quiet laughter any longer.

"It's just a bunch of rocks that happen to be in the shape of a castle," Will grumbled, kicking at an imaginary pebble on the ground.

"Perhaps to you," Tessa said with a shrug and began taking out her camera. She lifted the camera to her eye and prepared to take a picture of two towers. Most people now just looked at the digital screen, but she believed she took better pictures when she looked through the viewfinder. While she was working on getting the focus right, the whole thing suddenly went black. With a slight moment of panic, Tessa jerked back and was about to begin inspecting the camera when she noticed Will. He had stepped right in front of the lens and his black jacket was the reason everything went black. She gave him an irritated look, saying, "Really, Will, is it too much to ask you to let me take a picture?"

Will turned around, a look of mock surprise on his face. "Oh I was in your way? I'd apologize, but I thought I was doing the picture a favor. Any picture with me in it is bound to be beautiful."

Tessa arched her eyebrows at him. The things he said never ceased to amaze her. "We have a very different opinion of what makes people beautiful then," Tessa said decidedly.

"Would you care to enlighten us since you are so far superior?" Will asked, obviously mocking her with his tone along with his words.

"I'll just say this; Rose is one of the most beautiful people I've ever met, and Jem is not far behind." And then, just to spite him, she added, "and I think Gabriel Lightwood is up there too." The look on Will's face was just what Tessa had hoped for. His electric blue eyes seemed to darken and she could tell he was doing his best not to show his irritation or his anger. "Hopefully that clears things up for you," she said with a smile and then turned around to take her pictures. She hoped he understood that she was not referring to appearances when she talked about them being beautiful. As rude as Will was, Tessa had to admit that he was one of the most attractive boys she'd ever met. With his dark hair and fascinating blue eyes, who wouldn't find him handsome? But then, she found most of the boys she'd met so far in England quite attractive.

Only a few minutes later, in fact, one of the castle's employees approached them with wristbands that would allow them to leave the grounds and then come back in without paying again. His name tag read 'James' -which Tessa found entirely fantastic- and he was one of the nicest guys she had ever met. He only talked with her and Rosamund for a minute or so, and then when they turned to leave, Tessa quietly giggled with Rosamund how cute he was. It was then that Will decided to turn around around and shout, "Hey James! My two friends here think you're attractive and want to have your children!" That earned him a light smack from Rosamund, an elbow to the stomach from Jem and a very angry look from Tessa. James, on the other hand turned cherry red and went back to his duties with a newfound haste.

They had moved on to a different part of the castle now. They stood in front of the chapel that was essentially part of the castle. It was a beautiful building with intricate stained glass windows and detailed architecture. Tessa paused to get some pictures when Will came up behind her and said, "Really? You think that's the best angle? I wouldn't have gone with that one."

Tessa had finally had enough with Will, so she turned to him and held out the camera. "Fine. If you're such a photography expert, why don't you prove it."

Something sparked in Will's eyes, indicating he had accepted the challenge, and he took the camera from her without breaking eye contact. Tessa watched as he turned toward the chapel and prepared to take his shot. She was surprised to find he actually sort of seemed to know what he was doing. He knew how to work the zoom, even though it wasn't what was typical on most cameras. Tessa was about to voice her observations when the camera slipped out of Will's hands and began to fall toward the ground. Tessa let out a cry and dove for it, but it stopped before it got to her outstretched hands. She looked up to find it dangling by the neck strap from one of Will's fingers and a condescending smirk on Will's face. "Oops," was all he said.

Tessa snatched the camera back from him and stormed off, leaving Rosamund and Jem calling after. She felt angry tears building up, but she forced them back. The thought of loosing her camera was one of the most horrible things that could happen, especially after hardly a week in London. Though she heard Jem and Rosamund's footsteps as they followed her and called her name, she did not turn around. If she had, she would have seen Will standing in the same place, watching her walk away with his hands in his pockets, the light breeze ruffling his hair, and an unidentifiable expression on his face.

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**Hope you liked it! Let me know how I'm doing, I love hearing from all of you!**


	6. Quick Note

**Hi guys! I am so sorry I haven't updated in forever but I went on a trip and my life has been kinda insane for the past week and a half (It didn't help that I had no internet).**

**Anyway, I'm working on chapter six right now, so just know that I haven't abandoned this. I will hopefully have the next chapter up sometime tomorrow or Friday.**

**Thanks to those of you who have reviewed, followed, or favorited! (favorited sounds funny... :P) See you all soon!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Ok I finally got chapter 6 done. I'm sorry if it's kinda scattered or choppy. I was rushing a bit and I wasn't incredibly focused for some of it. **

**And now to respond to a few reviews.**

**alohaiems- I know exactly how you feel! I'm always doing the same things with my friends and finishing books. And (as you probably guessed) I'm also in love with classics like Pride and Prejudice. I'm currently reading A Tale of Two Cities as well as Emma (I'm obsessed with Jane Austen). I'm even weirder because I actually like and enjoy Shakespeare. My friends think I'm crazy :P**

**cazdinsdale- Thank you for your compliment about the introduction of Will! It really made my night and made me want to write more!**

**GirlInHerOwnWorld- I'm glad you like it! I also really want to thank you for reading my other story! I'll hopefully update that one soon too.**

**Guest- I'll try not to keep you waiting so long next time and yes I did have fun on my trip!**

**Guest- I would really like to finish this one! I actually have plans for a sequel or two, but we'll see where it goes :P**

**All right now you're probably tired of me. Onto the story!**

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**Chapter 6 **

"Come on, Tessa!" Rosamund called over her shoulder. "You can't take a picture of everything."

Tessa took one quick photo of the four massive horse statues on the corner where the street they were on turned into Piccadilly Circus. She followed Rosamund across the busy street to what felt like an island in the middle of a busy highway. This part of London reminded Tessa a little bit of Times Square in New York. There were some huge screens showing advertisements of various products. There weren't quite as many lights, but then she had only been in Piccadilly during the day.

Their mission for the day was shopping, and Tessa was dreading it. She didn't have a ton of money, as pounds were worth more than dollars, and she didn't really feel right using the money the Saunders' had given her. Not to mention she hated shopping in general. She felt like trying on clothes was such a waste of time.

They waited for a minute for the others when Rosamund got a text from Jem saying that they were going to be late and that they would meet Tessa and Rosamund in whichever shop they happened to be in. Rosamund then led Tessa up the street at a brisk walk. There were clothing stores lining the both sides of the street as far as Tessa could see, and she groaned internally at the thought of visiting all of them.

Rosamund walked past a few and then pulled Tessa into one. "This one has some great sales," she explained to Tessa as they wove through the racks of clothes.

"That's good," Tessa said half heartedly. She appreciated the fact that Rosamund considered her money situation, but she just really didn't want to go shopping at all.

After a while of browsing, Rosamund had found several items and was ready to try them on. "Come on, Tessa! Just try something," she practically begged of Tessa. "Look there is a sale rack over there. Grab something and come try it on."

Because that was as close to bossy as Rosamund had been with Tessa, she decided to oblige and went over to the rack. She blindly grabbed a dress that looked to be her size and followed Rosamund to the fitting rooms. She tried her dress on, and even Tessa knew it was bad. It made her look very short and hung off in all the wrong places. Plus it was a dirty rust color that wasn't quite orange and wasn't quite brown.

"Tessa come show me!" Rosamund called from outside her door.

"No, I'm not sure you really want to see this one. Even I think it looks bad," Tessa replied.

"Oh, I bet it does't look that bad," Rosamund said and Tessa could imagine her brushing the comment away with a flick of her wrist.

"Well all right," Tessa sighed and pushed open the door. Rosamund made her stand in front of the huge mirrors, and even those didn't make it look any better.

"It's not as bad as you made it sound," Rosamund assured her, looking at Tessa through the mirror. Just then a few familiar faces came around the corner and were reflected at Tessa in the mirror.

"Good Lord, Tessa," Will gaped. "There is a reason that dress is on sale."

"Will!" Jem and Rosamund both exclaimed at the same time, turning to face him.

"What? You weren't going to let her walk out of here with that, were you Rose?" Will demanded, looking rather offended.

Rosamund's cheeks darkened but she shook her head. "No, but I think Tessa can tell for herself when something doesn't work."

"Oh I'm sorry you don't like it, Will," Tessa jumped in. "I was going to give it to you for your birthday. It seemed more your style than mine."

Will opened his mouth to respond when a blonde-haired girl poked her head around the corner. "Are you guys coming? This store has- Oh dear..." she trailed off once her gaze settled on Tessa.

Tessa rolled her eyes and turned to the girl. "Nice to meet you too. I'm Tessa," she said trying not to let her annoyance creep into her voice.

Giving the blonde an exasperated look, Rosamund said, "Tessa, this is Jessamine. Jessamine, Tessa."

Jessamine managed a fake smile and then disappeared out the door again. Tessa booked it to the dressing room so she could change and avoid any more comments on the dress. When she came back out, happily dressed in jeans again, Will and Jem were gone. Rosamund sat looking very worried and biting her nails in a chair near the mirror. As soon as Tessa emerged, Rosamund stood and immediately began apologizing. "Oh Tessa, I'm so sorry! I don't know why Jessie said that, she's usually not like that."

Seeing Rosamund worried over nothing made Tessa crack a smile. Rose always overreacted when Will said something, or in this case Jessamine, and that made Tessa feel like at least someone wanted her there. Holding out a hand to stop Rosamund's apology, Tessa shook her head and said, "it's really all right. It was a horrible dress anyway."

This didn't deter Rosamund and she continued to apologize as they left the fitting room to find the others. When they did find them, Will was sitting, looking very bored, on a bench outside the store. Jessamine sat next to him babbling away about something, using her hands to illustrate what she said. Tessa couldn't help smirking at Will and Jessamine. Even Will, who normally loved attention, was hardly looking at Jessamine.

Jem looked up and smiled at Tessa and Rosamund as they approached. "You look much more comfortable, Tessa," Jem observed teasingly. He had obviously picked up on the fact that Tessa did not like shopping or trying on clothes, much less dresses.

"I am," Tessa replied, returning his smile. Jem's smile was contagious. The way his lips curved up at the corners, it was such a warm and soft smile it just made Tessa want to smile as well.

"Well that's good because we're going to be walking quiet a ways down the street," he told her, some secret twinkling in his silver eyes. His suppressed grin made Tessa curious.

"And where, may I ask, will we be walking to?"

"Oh somewhere around the West End," Jem said with a shrug, but Tessa could tell he was trying very hard to contain his excitement. Jem was much easier to read than Will.

"West End as in the theaters?" Tessa asked, even more curious now. The West End in London was just like Broadway in New York. It was where all the best musicals were shown.

"Yeah, maybe," Jem nodded, glancing at Rosamund who was biting her lower lip in order to prevent herself from laughing.

"Oh just tell her, Jem!" Rosamund said, finally unable to resist anymore.

Jem shrugged and said, "She's not going to be that excited. I mean, we're only going to see The Phantom of the Opera." When he finished he glanced over at Tessa for her reaction. Will also looked at her out of the corner of his eye, but Tessa didn't notice. She hardly knew what her face must have looked like, but after a moment both Jem and Rosamund started laughing so it must have been amusing.

Tessa couldn't help herself. She grabbed Jem and Rosamund by the wrists and began doing little hops up and down. "Are you serious? Which theater? Do you know who is playing Phantom?" she gushed, looking quickly between Rosamund and Jem.

Jem chuckled quietly and shook his head. "Why don't we just wait and see. The show starts in about 45 minutes so we should get going."

Tessa nodded in agreement and then hurried the others along toward the theater. She had been in love with The Phantom of the Opera ever since the 5th grade. One of her friends had shown her the sound track and then the movie and they would occasionally act it out with their dolls. Tessa knew every word to every song and she knew it would take everything in her not to start singing during the performance. She wasn't a bad singer, but no one would want her singing in their ear.

She had gotten ahead of the group in her excitement, so she turned around to hurry them along. When they caught up, she started skipping down the street, humming the overture to the musical. The others chuckled quietly behind her, but she didn't care. Even Will and his horrid arrogance couldn't bring her down now.

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**Well I hope it wasn't too choppy and whatnot. Let me know what you think!**


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